Buses in Dubai

Some say that the most comfortable way to explore cities and sites is by car, some enjoy boats and ships, some rent bicycles, but there are those who love to take public transportation; they say it is the best way to observe and get close to the mentality of the people living in that specific town or region. Big windows give you a wide view of the surrounding and busses move slow and stop a lot, which gives you a lot of opportunities to take photos and memories the things you see around you.

Bus transportation in Dubai is very well organized, prompt and even not that expensive. RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) is the organization that runs the public transport in the City. It covers trains, water transport, metro and of course – the busses. Their site provides detailed information about where, how and when the busses go.

As the Metro grew and evolved, the number of bus lines dropped from around 190 city lines to 125 nowadays. All of the busses have AC, seats reserved for disabled and children and they are kept clean. Most popular lines, thirteen of them, are those taking you to Central Business District and three of them to Global Village and Miracle Garden.

RTA also organizes tourist tours in opened busses, ones without a roof, which is a wonderful opportunity to cruise on the streets of Dubai, take videos and pictures and talk to the guides specialized in explaining sites of Dubai.

If you take the public bus in Dubai you should respect a few local rules: woman sit in the front seats; you shouldn’t consume food while driving; always make sure you enter the front door and exit the rear. Once you are in – you scan your Nol card and do the same thing when getting off. Don’t try to ride for free, because there are strict policies about that and you will surely have to pay a penalty.

NOL cards represent the easiest way to pay for your rides. They come in five possible versions: Silver, Gold and Blue cards are all e-purse smart cards. Blue one is personalized, and the other two are anonymous. Gold Card gives you the opportunity to use gold class coach in a Subway, but only Gold class coach. You shouldn’t try to use it for other kinds of transport because you will be charged the regular fare for those. Once you get the blue one it will be valid for five years. If you happen to lose your Blue card – don’t worry; you will get the new one with the same balance that was there at the moment you lost it. That is why most of people prefer the personalized one. Silver card is the most convenient, because you can do everything online: load it, order it, and calculate your balance and it is set to automatically monitor the fares. Red card is the paper one, mostly used by tourists for the shorter periods of time. This one is not e-purse, but you can use it in all of the public transportations.